Office Secrets
by BekaForEver
Summary: A series of connected-but not chronological-incidents in which Jane and Lisbon hide-or attempt to hide-their relationship from the team. Rated for a few words later on.
1. Chapter 1

"JANE!" The entire bull pen became deathly silent, all three pairs of eyes zeroing in on the offending consultant.

The man seemed unperturbed, however, as he calmly made his way over to the door where Lisbon was waiting.

"Could you move any slower, Jane?" the brunette asked in exasperation.

"Well, now that you mention it…" The signature smile appeared on his face as he dramatically slowed his motions.

Clearly, this latest antic had shattered the little patience Lisbon had. "Jane! Get over here _right now_, or I swear to God I will kill you in the slowest, most painful way possible." Jane, apparently encouraged by the threat, sped up until he reached the door.

Once there, he bowed mockingly. "After you, madam." Lisbon shot him a glare, then huffed her way through into the office. Jane turned around one last time to grin at the rest of the team, before a shrill voice ordered him to shut the door.

"Well," Van Pelt began after a moment, "he really did it this time."

"I'll say." Rigsby seconded. "I haven't seen the boss that angry since he asked her if she had any 'steamy' plans for the weekend when the review board was here."

"Ten bucks says Lisbon physically harms Jane within the next—" Cho broke off to glance at his watch— "ten minutes. She's always crankiest around five, when the caffeine starts to wear off," Cho reasoned.

"No way, man. Jane'll charm his way out of this one, just you watch. I'm in." The two agents shook hands, and Van Pelt rolled her eyes.

"That was a stupid bet, Cho. The boss isn't going to hurt him when he already nearly died today! She cares for him—really, she does!" The redhead defended in response to the disbelieving looks she received. She continued, "She just…isn't good with her feelings. And, if you ask me, one of these days—"

Suddenly, a loud bang coming from behind the closed door of the office interrupted her.

"Oh yeah. Sounds like she can't even contain how much she cares for him, doesn't it?" Cho's sarcastic comment caused Van Pelt to huff and turn back to her work.

"Just you wait. You'll see I'm right, one of these days."

Rigsby nervously eyed the door. "Umm, guys? Should we go make sure he's alright? That sounded pretty bad.

More muffled noises straggled out of the office, followed by a distinct "Oof," which was met by another crash.

"Nah. We'll give them some time. Besides, Jane hasn't cried out in pain just yet, so she's probably only thrown something at him. If we go in now, Lisbon might be prevented from hurting him, which would ruin our bet." Cho returned his attention to his book, eyes quickly latching onto where he had left off.

Still a little unsure, Rigsby turned to Van Pelt, who shrugged and went back to work. He was about to do the same when his stomach reminded him that he had eaten more than two hours ago, and only a small amount then. (Well, his lunch, half of Van Pelt's, and then five dollars worth of snacks from the vending machine, but still.) He got up and walked into the kitchen, wondering whether or not he would win the bet. Sure, Lisbon had amazing self-control, but Jane was really pushing her limit with this stunt.

***************

After he closed the door, Jane turned around to see that Lisbon was already seated at her desk. "You screeched?"

"Jane, please, be serious for a minute. You acted completely out of line today." Lisbon stood up, even though she had only just sat down. She moved to sit on the corner of the desk, crossing her arms.

"I know, I know," Jane shook his head ruefully. "I almost lost you a witness, blew your undercover operation, and managed to get shot at, all in ten minutes. A new record, right?" He looked up to meet Lisbon's eyes, hoping to lessen the tension a bit. She was not amused, however, so he hung his head and continued, "I messed up. I'm sorry the suspect got away."

"You think that's what this is about?!"

"Umm…yes? Unless that's not the right answer…" Jane didn't know what to say, an unusual occurrence for him.

"You almost _died_ today, Jane!" She banged her desk to emphasize her point. "If Rigsby hadn't gotten there in time and barreled into the guy—"

"Kent."

"What?" Lisbon was startled out of her would-be rant.

"Well you called him 'the guy.' The suspect's name is Lucifer Kent. I think you should use his name when you speak of him, because there are quite a few 'guys' around here. You know, just to be specific." Lisbon stared at him, disbelieving. "Actually, that probably explains why he's so angry," he added contemplatively. "A name like 'Lucifer' can't be much fun to grow up with."

"Jane, are you seriously going on about a _name_? I don't care what his name is, he almost _killed you_!" She felt her eyes water, which only made her angrier. She would _not_ cry.

Jane, finally understanding what this was about, rushed to wrap his arms around her thin frame. She leaned into him, resting her cheek on his shoulder as she looked up at him. "It's alright. I'm okay! See? All here for you to yell at," his words were soft and soothing. He hated to see her upset. Especially when he was the cause. Riled up was fine. Riled up he could deal with. (In fact, he found an annoyed Lisbon rather hot.) But upset? He couldn't stand it.

That Jane was so accepting made her eyes water even more, and when she felt his hand begin rubbing her back, she felt a single tear trickle its way down her cheek. _Damn._

Oh hell, he'd seen her in worse states of disarray; this wouldn't make any difference. "I know you're here. I just…I keep thinking about what could have happened. And it scares the hell out of me. I don't think I could deal with not having you anymore." She gave a watery half-smile, "Especially after I made you wait so long." She straightened in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and wanting nothing more than to be as close as possible to him.

"And that wait practically killed me. We all know how impatient I am. In fact, right now, I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to kiss me." And with that, he backed them up until she hit the wall with a clatter and pressed his lips to hers.

"You know what? I was thinking the same thing," she whispered against his lips, then deepened the kiss.

In what seemed like no time at all, Jane's one hand was tangled in her hair while the other had snaked its way up the back of her shirt to rub the skin there. Her head was tilted upward to allow him better access to her neck, which he attacked with his lips.

Lisbon was completely trapped between Jane and the wall, but she didn't mind at all. The closeness of his proximity only assured her all the more that he was really there, really alive. She couldn't think, and she didn't want to. She ran her hand through his curls and pressed herself as far into him as she could.

As things continued to heat up, Jane realized where it was heading and knew that—no matter how much he wanted to—he could not have sex with Lisbon in her office. "Teresa," his husky voice whispered, after resurfacing.

"What, Patrick?" she moaned, mourning the loss of his lips on her neck.

"I do believe we should move this meeting to a more suitable place. Like, possibly, our bed." He slowly began to untangle them, straightened out her hair with his fingers, and repositioned her shirt. She blinked a few times, her puffy red eyes clouded with lust.

Suddenly, she smirked a bit. "_Our _bed? Does this mean what I think it does?"

" I've already sold my house, and all my boxes have been moved into your apartment. I figure I spend most of my time there already, might as well make it official." He grinned in response to her smiling eyes. "It was going to be a surprise, but I suppose this is as good a way to tell you as any other."

"You're really moving in, Patrick? This isn't just some sick joke?" As with most situations Lisbon labeled as 'too good to be true,' she was having trouble believing it.

"Well…" he trailed off playfully, as though he had been caught in the middle of a prank, and Lisbon hit him on the arm.

"Not funny, Jane! Are you seriously moving in?"

"Yes." The simple affirmation sent shivers of pleasure pulsing throughout her whole body.

She leaned into his warm embrace once more, before pulling away and hurrying to her desk to collect her things. When she had everything, she turned back around to face Jane. "Let's go."

As she walked to the door, Jane was left dumbfounded in her wake. "Really? You're going to allow us to leave work early? When there's an open case?"

She paused and turned, with her hand still on the doorknob and an almost seductive smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, but wasn't it your suggestion in the first place?"

"Well, yes, but…I didn't think you would actually comply," he admitted.

"I guess I'm not as predictable as you thought. Now, are you coming or will I be going home by myself?"

That was all the encouragement Jane needed, so he followed her out the office door.

**************

The office door opened, startling Rigsby and Cho—who had been once again debating whether or not to interrupt their boss's meeting with their consultant—into silence. Out came Lisbon, closely followed by a stunned-looking Jane.

No one said a word as the pair silently made their way to the elevator.

Rigsby and Cho stared at each other, with Van Pelt's gaze jumping between the two. "So…" she said, attempting to break the awkward tension.

"Were you able to get a clear look at Jane?" Cho asked.

"Nope. But if he was hurt he would've been limping or something. Since he wasn't, I'd say I won the bet. Pay up."

"I don't think so. Why would they have left so suddenly if they didn't need to seek medical attention for Jane, or to hide the fact that she had hurt him? It doesn't make any sense."

"You've got it wrong. He was fine!"

"He must have been hurt."

"You just don't want to admit that I won!"

"No, I—"

"Oh would you two just give it up already? Call it a draw. No one wins, okay?" Van Pelt declared. Both men went to argue, but the rookie's stern gaze convinced them that it might be better to simply keep silent. After a few seconds with no response, she nodded her head. "Good. Now, let's get back to work. Rigsby, did you find anything on the suspect's ex?"

The big man turned back to his computer and began reading a profile of the woman in question. Van Pelt shook her head surreptitiously; when would her two oblivious colleagues pick up on what was really happening between Jane and Lisbon?

A/N: And that' it: the beginning of my first published fanfic. I've got quite a bit more in store for this one, but regular updates aren't likely. If you see any grammatical mistakes or something that I could improve, please leave a review or private message me, and I'll do my best to fix it. I haven't read this over, because if I do I'm all too likely to delete it and start from scratch…again. And I really, really don't want to do that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So…I'm back! Sorry about the hideously long wait, but I told you all—updating on a schedule is **_**not **_**my thing. I never seem to be able to force myself to sit down and write. Anyway, here's the second installment.**

Jane was in heaven. Not only was he on the beach, listening to the pounding waves and the seagulls' calls, smelling the salty air, but Lisbon was there, and she was enjoying herself. This might have been the best idea he'd had in a while.

It had taken surprisingly little coaxing to convince Lisbon that a trip to the beach was just what they needed. After their most recent case—which had centered around a child killed by her mother—they'd been rather tense. Jane had known that the beach usually did wonders for Lisbon's nerves, and it seemed that it was working right now.

He took a moment to just admire her; the way her head tilted up, mouth open a smidgeon, as if in a silent, blissful sigh. And the way her hair being whipped back and forth by the wind, which usually annoyed her, didn't seem to bother her at all. She was completely relaxed, a rare occurrence, and she seemed to melt into the arms he encircled her with.

She rested her head on his shoulder, then turned her eyes up to meet his. "This was perfect. Thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime, love," he murmured, placing a soft kiss into her wind-blown hair. She smiled before returning her gaze to the striking sight before her.

She'd loved the beach ever since she was a child, when her parents would bring her and her brothers to the shore for a family weekend trip. They'd laugh and splash around in the waves for a couple of hours, while the adults sat in the sand and watch them. They always ended the day with a picnic followed by a trip to the local ice cream parlor, where each child could order whatever size cone they wanted.

Lisbon hadn't been to the beach much, recently, because all these memories were sometimes too painful, and she just couldn't face them. Now, though, with Jane by her side, they were less burdensome… In fact, she was almost able to welcome the flashbacks. And as she stole another glance at Jane's carefree face, she knew that this was one moment she'd be glad to remember.

Snuggled in his embrace, she let all the tension she was harboring drift away. She was just about to fall asleep—encouraged by the constant pound of the surf and Jane's heartbeat—when she saw them.

_No,_ she thought,_ no, no, no, no. This cannot be happening._ She jerked out of Jane's arms, instantly on full alert. Jane, for his part, was thoroughly confused, and wondering what on earth he had done to upset the now-agitated brunette. He scanned the beach for anything that she might have felt threatened by, eyes quickly skimming over the kids splashing in the water, the teenage girls sun bathing in bikinis, the happy couple walking along the water's edge…

Oh wait. He took as close a look at the couple as possible, considering the sun was in his eyes. It was a very tall man with his arm slung over a petite girl with red hair that reflected the sunlight who was leaning into him. Jane turned back to Teresa, understanding in his eyes, and she looked back at him, frozen in fear.

"What the hell? Jane!" she began, at a loss of words for just how horrible she found this situation to be.

Jane, on the other hand, thought it was pretty amusing. He'd been trying to convince Lisbon that coming clean about their relationship to the team was better done sooner rather than later, but she kept resisting. Now though, it seemed that she might not have any choice, seeing as Van Pelt and Rigsby had probably spotted them at this point. He looked back over his shoulder, and confirmed his suspicion; Van Pelt _had _seen them, and the happy couple was heading over right this second.

He turned back to his furious girlfriend and tried to test the waters, "Well, we knew it would come out sooner or later." When he didn't get an instant response, he pushed his luck a bit further, "Though I didn't think it'd happen when you were wearing bathing suit. Especially not one that covers so little." To this he added his signature impish grin, hoping that she'd return his smile.

His hopes were proven unfounded when she looked down at her skimpy lime green bikini and seemed to snap out of her daze, only to glower at him some more. She opened her mouth to rip him a new one, but he interjected just in time, "It's alright, m'dear, I know you're not ready. And we can play off that we aren't here together, I mean, for all they know, we simply came as friends. Or better yet, just happened to run into each other. As long as we act completely natural, they'll never suspect a thing, wrapped up in each other as they are."

Lisbon closed her mouth, considering his words. "Alright then. But no funny stuff!" Seeing the oh-so-innocent look on his face that usually meant he was planning something, she felt the need to elaborate on her threat, "I'm serious, Patrick! A toe out of line here and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight!" For some reason, he didn't doubt her for a second. And their couch at home was a lot less comfortable than the one back at the office.

He nodded his agreement, and the two of them rearranged themselves to look like friends that had bumped into each other, not come together. This consisted of Jane lounging by himself on the towel and Lisbon sitting awkwardly in the sand a foot away, looking extremely out of place. A few minutes later they heard the pounding feet, followed by the sight of Van Pelt running toward them, a trailing Rigsby looking uncertain behind her.

She arrived at last, in a flurry of red hair and sprayed sand, gushing about their chance encounter, "Lisbon! Jane! Oh, it's so good to see you here! Wayne and I were just taking a walk, and we were so surprised when we saw you sitting here. Wayne didn't believe it was you at first, but I knew right away—there's something about the two of you that sticks out, anywhere." She paused for a moment, as if realizing her slip. "Well…I mean—Rigsby and I—umm, I was bored. So I called him. And so we decided to, uh, come out here. And I just happened to have my bathing suit, so…" She flushed, and cast her eyes down.

Jane took pity on the poor girl and ended her suffering. "Yes, I think we are a rather distinguished pair, don't you, Lisbon? I mean, with the way I shine and your pretty little frown lines, who could possibly miss us?"

Relaxing, Lisbon played along a little, "Oh yeah, because it has nothing to do with your inability to behave and that little fact forcing me to run after you like a madwoman."

"I resent that. And I'm positive that my radiant smile is the biggest attraction." He stuck his tongue out at her, a gesture so familiar that the entire group felt the tension seep away. Soon Van Pelt and Lisbon were lying in the sand, propping themselves up on their elbows so that they could discuss their latest yoga plans, while Jane and Rigsby sat silently on the side, admiring the two oblivious women.

"So you and Grace just bumped into each other, eh?" Jane questioned off-handedly to a transfixed Rigsby.

Off guard, Rigsby couldn't quite muster up a convincing response. "Uh, well um, yeah," he finished lamely.

"What a coincidence, Lisbon and I happened to do the same."

"Yeah," he grunted. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments more, until Rigsby cleared his throat, deciding to confirm his suspicions. "You, uh, you know, don't you?" he indicated Grace and then back to himself. Jane nodded. "You won't tell Lisbon, will you?"

"I think she already knows and just won't admit it to herself. So as long as you don't flaunt it, I don't think she'll do anything." Rigsby sighed in relief, clapping Jane on the back gratefully.

"Thanks buddy. Well, I think we're gonna get going; Grace mentioned wanting to check out that new place downtown, so if we wanna get a table we've got to get there early." He stood up and shook Jane's hand before walking over to where the girls sat.

Van Pelt glanced up at his approaching shadow, smiled, and turned back to Lisbon, telling her that she had to go. Lisbon, for all her protest moments before, looked saddened by this news. She looked conflicted for a second, but she quickly banished the thoughts telling her to keep the professional boundaries and acted on impulse, standing up and enveloping the younger girl in a hug. Van Pelt seemed confused but pleased and returned the hug.

A few minutes later, Jane and Lisbon stood side by side, watching the retreating couple. Jane snuck a look at the formidable woman beside him and smiled discreetly. Catching the look, she bristled immediately, turning to confront him about it. "What?" she demanded, "Seriously, what is it?"

Jane chortled in response, sensing the hidden smile in her words. "Oh nothing, dear. I was simply wondering when you'd become such a sap, that's all."

"Oh shut up," she replied, blushing.

"No, no, really. I think I like this side of you." He jokingly nuzzled the side of her neck, his arm easily claiming its place around her shoulders.

"Humph." She lightly slapped his arm and covered up a small grin with her hand. They sat down together, and it wasn't long before her head was in his lap, with him stroking her hair.

"Thank you," she whispered, repeating her words from earlier, casting her eyes up to meet his. "I really had a great time today."

"Anytime, love," he responded, and they went back to watching the silhouettes of dolphins leaping against the pink sky of the sunset, wrapped up in each other.

**A/N: I meant to say that I decided to write this in chronological order, and that it's a bit AU, as in Rigsby and Van Pelt never came clean, the whole Red John thing at the end of the second season didn't happen, and Frye never came back. And yeah, super sorry about the huge delay. I'll try to be a whole lot faster next time…that said, please, please, please leave a review with just a couple of words stating what you thought. It really means a lot to me.**


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